Broken Pieces

I began working as an Internet radio host in October 2010. In three years, I have learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in creating a good show for listeners. The first year, I had significant fear around being on the radio, so when I hear my guest’s voice shaking, I get it.

My advice is to take a deep breath and to pretend the radio interview with the host is simply a nice chat with both of you talking about what you know: your book! It’s natural to be a little nervous, but after you’ve done many interviews, it becomes very easy to talk about your book during a podcast or live interview.

Another tip to overcome radio stage fright is to have a small snack beforehand and to be in a comfortable area of your house or office. Most interviews are over the phone or on Skype now, so sit in your favorite room where you can look around at familiar furnishings and wall decorations. This can help you feel a sense of calmness.

Having a pre-interview chat with the host can help alleviate fears as well. Maybe you’re nervous because you don’t know what the host is going to ask or how they’ll come across in the interview. If you’ve written a memoir with sensitive information, you may feel a bit apprehensive about how the host will talk about your book. Dialoguing with the host ahead of time can help you ‘feel’ that out in advance and prepare for the interview.

As a radio host, I always have questions prepared ahead of time for my guest. I usually ask my guest to prepare for me a few questions as well. This gives me a feel for what they want to discuss during the interview. It is wise for an author to generate five to ten questions they can give to a radio host as possible questions to ask. The host may or may not ask these questions, but it can create an outline for you. When you interview, you want to be prepared with your answers without sounding like you’re reading off a script.

Something I really appreciate from my radio guests is their preparedness and concise answers. Sometimes a guest does not really answer the question, but goes off in left field. As that is happening, I’m mentally thinking of how to bring the guest back on track and answer the question. In two worst-case scenarios, it was so bad I either scheduled to re-do the pre-recorded interview or I did not post it at all. For me, this is very rare.

Simply prepare an outline of conversational direction, perhaps listen to a couple of past interviews, get comfortable and have fun!